


Would You Like a Cup of Tea?

by wickedradical



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-12
Updated: 2016-06-12
Packaged: 2018-07-14 13:03:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,764
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7172861
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wickedradical/pseuds/wickedradical
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There's another way, you don't have to FIGHT.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Would You Like a Cup of Tea?

**Author's Note:**

> I've been super sick this whole week, so I haven't been updating Rescued ;w;;; I'll get to that asap, I promise. Enjoy this in the meantime, I started this a month or two ago(maybe more?) and finally got back to it.

Asgore stared at the human before him.

He’d just been watering his flowers peacefully, humming to the tune of the birds from aboveground’s chirping. It was his favorite place, his throne room. Buttercups blanketed the floor, several holes in the cave open to allow warm sunlight to filter through. It was much better than his home, even. His home reminded him too much of his former family, which in turn reminds him of what he’d done.

You see, he used to have a son. He, Asriel, was a lovely little one, always kind to the other creatures underground. The king and his wife had also had the luck to gain another child, the first human that had fallen into the underground. They, Chara, were a peculiar one. But they got along with Asriel quite well, so Asgore let it go. Besides, if Chara was always smiling, how bad could they be?

Very bad, it seemed. Of course, he kept telling himself, they hadn’t meant to put buttercups in his pie…

It was merely a mistake. _Anyone_ could’ve made that blunder.

_Right?_

Of course, as the whole kingdom knew, he’d been terribly sick for a good deal after. The first human apologized profusely, but Asgore had never been able to take it sincerely. They just kept smiling on and on, no worry evident in their face. Their bright read eyes had shown no sympathy or any emotion whatsoever. If there was any feeling, it was only _amusement_. That look had made Asgore’s skin crawl, discomfort inching down to the very depths of his already sick SOUL. Now, the king didn’t want to worry everyone, of course, but it seemed that Chara didn’t even _care_ for their adoptive father…

Almost like they’d put buttercups in the pie _on purpose_.

But they had died, and dragged their son to death along with them, at the hands of their race.

_Humans._

At the time of his two kids’ deaths, Asgore felt only hatred towards the species that dwelled above ground. He’d declared war, vowing never to let another human underground without taking their SOUL. Gone were the days of hope and kindness, only grief and murder were to be found. Snatched away like flower petals in the wind, gone were his children and happiness.

His wife, Toriel, had been absolutely horrified, and fled to the ruins. There she would intercept any fallen humans, and try to save them. Of course, it hadn’t worked, as Asgore had seen human after human in the Underground. They’d bravely journeyed through, befriending everyone they met without a single regret to weigh them down.

And he’d fought and killed them all, rendering them soulless. No one would remember their fragile lives, all the friends they’d made _gone_ , forgetting about them in an instant.

_Now_ , there was yet _another_ human, the last one he needed to get himself and the rest of his subjects through the barrier. Honestly, he didn’t want to go on with the fighting anymore. He was tired, tired of fighting and tired of having innocent humans fall at his own hands. He didn’t want to do this anymore.

What if he _didn’t_ kill them?

This human, standing in front of him almost _expectantly_. What if he _didn’t_ fulfill his destiny, _didn’t kill_ this hopeless child..?

He could see the sadness in the little human’s eyes, shining deep within like the glowing mushrooms amidst the dark in Waterfall.

_They didn’t want to fight either._

They way they held their dagger with shaking hands, clutching a little red pendant to their chest for dear life. He could see sweat pooling between their brows, eyes shut as if they couldn’t even bear to meet the king’s eyes.

Golly, Asgore could barely meet their gaze either. He so badly wanted to say, ‘Would you like a cup of tea?’ But… _He knew how it went._ They _had_ to fight. He voiced his regrets, looking down.

The king couldn’t wimp out now. The fate of monsters, the fate of the entire underground rested on this one, fatal moment. If he failed in his duty, everyone would be trapped. And who knew how long until another human would come, tumbling down the hole and into the Ruins? How long, until they inevitably got past Toriel, past Papyrus, Undyne, Mettaton..? And thus… Finally come to meet the king himself?

So, you see, he _had_ to fight.

No tea time for the king.

No _MERCY_ for the human.

Asgore whipped out a trident, destroying any hope of his being SPARED by the human. _He didn’t deserve any MERCY._

He held himself back from apologizing once more. However hard it was to keep his polite nature at bay, it just wouldn’t do to have him acting so nicely whilst about to commit a heinous murder. Tears began dripping down his face.

The king didn’t like to cry, but in these battling moments, he was grateful for the tears that dripped down his face. Twilight from the barrier behind him reflected off of his tears, glinting orange and blue to warn the human of his trident-swinging attacks. Although he couldn’t give much other hints on his attacks, he was glad for the one brief respite from pain that the light gave him and the child he fought. After all, his trident was very powerful, and would do quite a number on the small human.

The aforementioned brunette, on the other hand was crying, not bothering to try and hold anything back. Sobs escaped from their small body and they shook, trying to convince him again and again to _STOP_.

Asgore shook his head, an almost imperceptible gesture if one didn’t look hard enough. But the human, the small kid, they watched him in disbelief, wide eyes drinking in every action. Every ragged intake of breath, every twitch of his fumbling hands, nothing went unseen.

The sweatered child jumped from side to side to avoid his fiery attacks, crying shamelessly. The tears blurred their vision, but it was inconsequential, as they refused to FIGHT. Asgore was relentless, even _merciless_ , if you will. The kid’s tears were evaporating in the unforgiving heat, and what tears didn't disappear fell to the ashy ground, sizzling out like little embers.

Their skin was pink, turning red and black in more extreme parts. Some burns had gone far past the top layer of their tan skin, revealing bloody, raw skin beneath. Several painful-looking blisters covered their hands and face, but still, the human stood, knees knocking together, nearly about to fall over. Still, _they refused to fight_.

The stoic king only started crying harder. Sobs wracked his large, foreboding form, almost imperceptible in his practically unmoving, regal pose. Slash after slash of his bright trident, red with the blood of all the previous children who had died at its merciless points, the human stayed still. Blast after blast of flame from his gloved palms, the child had even given up on even dodging.

And then, they finally toppled to the ground. Legs completely giving out, not even shaking anymore, they were still. Face screwed into the ashy ground, they lay, unmoving. It only served as a further reminder of all his wretched, murderous acts. Asgore weeped, seeing the ash not for the material that it was, but the dust of the monsters who had died in the war against humans. Yet… This human, and the other fallen ones before them had only wanted to _befriend_ him. And what had the king done in return?

_Taken away their every last chance at a happy ending. Ripped MERCY right from their soft, outstretched arms. Killed them without a second thought for how they must feel, for how his wife must’ve felt when she’d heard of every new SOUL gained, every inch closer to freedom. Toriel had tried to protect these children, he knew, but.. It never worked. Such was fate._

As the bright SOUL burst into pieces in midair, the fire died down. Even the twilight from the barrier had disappeared, leaving the whole room dark. The words tumbled from the king’s furry muzzle before he could stop them. “Chara!” The human looked so much like his fallen child, the first human to venture into the UNDERGROUND, he couldn’t help calling them by their name. “Stay determined!” Golly, if Asgore truly admitted it to himself, he almost wanted the human to win this fight. Looking so much like his adopted child… It honestly made him root for them, if only a bit.

And yet, as they came back, all previous blemishes and burns gone, they only held out their arms in a pitiful attempt for a hug. This time, the brunette had not even bothered to take out their dagger for defense. They had truly given up. All hope in their dark eyes was gone, their pale yellowed skin illuminated in the fire’s magical light.

Slowly, slowly… The light of the fire began to die down. The king’s palms were empty, yet still outstretched, raising the ceiling. They gradually turned inwards to face each other, as he stepped forward. Robe concealing his large form, he walked towards the human. The small child’s face had fallen, their arms drooping, giving up any hope that the king would spare them any more kindness. They were too wrapped up in their own grief, sorrowed that such a nice fellow was fated not to befriend them, but to kill them.

But, in a surprising, unprecedented turn of events, they felt strong, armored arms wrap around their tiny body and lift it up. Squinted eyes opening wide with shock, they turned to see the fuzzy face of the king nuzzled against their shoulder. His soft brown eyes were calm, betraying no negative emotion.

Yet within, the tall monster’s mind was overtaken by a tumultuous wave of worries.

_If I spare this human, we won’t reach our goal. The Underground will see me as a failure. They’ll think of me worse than Toriel does. Toriel.. Would she be proud of me? Would she be happy, seeing me give up, if only to keep her precious child safe? Or, would she be disappointed that I gave up on my longtime goal for the kingdom’s salvation, their return to the surface?_

Seeing the hopeful smile that soon overtook Frisk’s face, Asgore knew his answer. 

_Toriel would approve._

When he spoke, his words were simple, voice carrying none of the regal bearings worthy of his rank. It was almost _small_ , pleading, begging for the MERCY that he did not deserve.

“….. _Would you like a cup of tea?_ ”

**Author's Note:**

> I almost added a short bit with Flowey in the end because I am trash for the homicidal flower. (mean hEY if you guys want to see it tell me?????? it could be an epilogue or alternate ending, either way id be glad to show you guys)


End file.
